United Nations Releases Professor Bennoune’s Statement on Cultural Rights in Serbia and Kosovo
Professor Karima Bennoune, acting in her capacity as United Nations Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, issued a statement on the “high level of politicization of cultural rights issues in Serbia and in Kosovo” and calling for increased awareness of access to cultural heritage as a human rights issue.
“Serbia and Kosovo must understand how crucial it is to view cultural heritage issues from a human rights perspective, based on the rights of all people without discrimination to participate in cultural life, to access and enjoy cultural heritage, to freedom of expression, thought, conscience and religion, and to education in particular,” Bennoune states in a United Nations press release published October 14.
The release comes on the heels of Professor Bennoune’s visit to Serbia and Kosovo from October 3-14, in which she assessed efforts to implement the right of all persons to participate in cultural life and to access and enjoy cultural heritage. In the release, Bennoune discusses the need to protect the heritage of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo, the need to protect the cultural heritage of Kosovo Albanians, the impact of the legacy of past conflicts in the region on cultural rights, and other issues.
“There is a clear need for mutual acknowledgment of the harm that has been done in the past by attacking heritage related to various groups, and the suffering this has caused,” Bennoune states. “Lasting peace and reconciliation require no less.”
On a separate note, Bennoune will make a presentation to the United Nations General Assembly on October 26 concerning her thematic report on the intentional destruction of cultural heritage and participate in a discussion of the report the following day. A King Hall student will accompany her to UN Headquarters in New York City.
Karima Bennoune is an author, lecturer, teacher, and international law scholar. In October 2015, she was appointed UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights. She was recently presented with the 2016 Rights and Leadership Award by IANGEL, the International Action Network for Gender Equity & Law.